1. The invention relates to a cigarette pack, in particular a soft pack for cigarettes, comprising at least one blank of multi-layered packaging material, which encases a group of cigarettes, and folding webs are joined by thermal sealing.
2. Cigarette packs of sealable packaging material are known in different designs. An outer plastic foil casing for cigarettes is usually closed by thermal sealing of folding webs. Furthermore, cigarette packs of a complex multi-layered laminated fail are known. The manufacture of this type of pack is elaborate, in particular also due to the applied packaging material (U.S. Pat. No. 4,100,718).
It is an object of the invention to suggest a cigarette pack which is preferably composed of one single blank of multi-layered packaging material but manufactured in a simple way and with relatively low material output.
In order to achieve this object, the inventive cigarette pack is characterized by the following features:
a) the packaging material is composed of at least one internally arranged paper layer and an outer plastic layer;
b) the outer plastic layer is composed of thermally sealable material, in particular polyethylene or polypropylene.
The packaging material preferably comprises an inside paper layer, which therefore faces the contents of the pack and is provided on its outer side with an thermally sealable plastic layer. On its inner side, a coating can alternatively be arranged on the paper layer, i.e. a metal layer or a plastic layer, preferably of high melting point.
According to the invention, this single, two- or three-layered packaging material is of particular significance in conjunction with the design of the soft cigarette pack, in particular in the embodiment of U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,186. The. Z-shaped folding used in this type of pack can be easily and durably manufactured with the inventive packaging material, i.e. in that two shanks of the Z-fold are joined to each other by thermal sealing continuously over their full surface or at least in partial areas. Sealing of the Z-fold can be applied in the area of a continuous length of material.
Furthermore, the bottom area of the pack corresponding with U.S. Pat. No. 5,762,186 with double-layered folding webs is designed in such a manner that the thermally sealable outer layers of the packaging material abut each other, so that a particularly tight, lasting seal can be achieved in the area of the bottom wall.
A further special quality of the cigarette pack lies in the design and arrangement of an opening aid also suitable for (soft cup) packs made of another packaging material. An opening web is defined in the region of a top wall by perforation or other weakened lines in the (inner) blank. The perforation line is not freely visible before the pack is opened.
Further features and details of the inventive cigarette pack will now be described in more detail, based on exemplary embodiments. Shown are, in